Author: servingupcomedy

We kicked off our 2019 season the other night with a stellar lineup and a packed room! Yes, Serving Up Comedy is back with a new show each month which starts at 7pm on the second Thursday of every month. As always, the show is free, and there is no two-item minimum. Just come and enjoy some laughs.
Our featured charity this year has changed, however. Because of the massive fires we had in 2017, we decided any money collected in 2018 was to go to our local firefighters, specifically, city firefighters.
This year, because of the record fires we had in 2018, we are carrying over our same charity — first responders — but this time, the money will go to county firefighters. They are two separate entities, both serving a monumental cause. If, while attending a show, you feel inclined to want to thank them for their service, drop in a few dollars. Serving Up Comedy will match dollar for dollar when handing the money collected to the county, making the donation twice as much. No money contributed goes to the show. Talent performs for free out of their appreciation for what we do.
Otherwise, be looking for our monthly lineup on the website, and mark it on your calendar.

Thursday, Aug. 9th, marks our last show for the year 2018. The Warehouse emphasizes football from September till the Superbowl on the second Sunday of February. But we will be back on Thursday, Feb. 21st, and every second Thursday thereafter with new shows and a new featured charity.

Even though our monthly show at The Warehouse is on hiatus, we still have our weekly workshop on Saturdays at Melody Bar and Grill at 2pm. Read more about it on the website.

Those of us who make up Serving Up Comedy want to thank everyone who came out to see our shows on 2018. We had a great year in attendance, and because of your kind hearts, we did pretty well bringing in a few dollars to give to our featured charity. Serving Up Comedy will match dollar for dollar, and every dollar donated (100%) goes to the cause. Two hundred percent, actually, because it’s doubled. Spread the laughter; spread the love.

Come out to our last show, so that we may look you in the eyes and say, “Till we see you again.”

Mark your calendars. Thursday, Feb. 15th, is our first show of 2018! Serving Up Comedy is back, offering a hilarious evening of booked comedians, followed by open mic for the audience to participate if they so choose. As always, the show is free, and there is no two-item minimum. The show goes from 7pm to 9pm. We will, of course, continue to bring attention to charities.

Our debut charity for this year is First Responders. California saw torrential fires in both hemispheres. Then in Southern California we had the floods only months thereafter. In every instance, fire, rescue, paramedics, police were warning us, helping us, saving us. Now it’s their turn. For every dollar donated to our charity, Serving Up Comedy will match it. So, $400 becomes $800. I want to emphasize, our shows are for entertainment. We want to provide an evening of laughter with standup comedy free of charge. The comedians performing do so without receiving compensation. They agree to perform for the love of the craft and the cause we highlight. If, in the spirit of having a good time, and you want to share that goodness you’re feeling, drop what you want into our donation box. Every dollar makes a world of difference.

Lastly, a change in our venue. This year, The Warehouse has decided to explore additional avenues of entertainment. As such, after our first show, Feb. 15th, Serving Up Comedy will only have one show each month on the 2nd Thursday: March 8th, April 12th, May 10th, June 14th, July 12th, Aug. 9th. So mark those dates on your calendar! A new lineup each month with top comedians and headliners from all over the country, as seen on TV. Bring a friend. Laughter should be shared. Come share some with us. Happy Hour till 7pm. Happier Hour follows. Dinner available in the lounge, as well.

We thank all the donations may in the month of July from our patrons who have been enjoying our standup comedy, but this new month brings on a new cause, and that charity is Dream Catcher of Los Angeles. Like other featured charities that involve animals as therapy for people, so, too, is Dream Catcher, involving children and adults and horses.

With headquarters located in Long Beach, Dream Catcher is a Certified Center Member of PATH International (Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship), offering equine assisted activities and therapies. Dream Catcher’s mission is to improve the lives of children, adults and veterans with cognitive, physical and emotional disabilities through the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding and other equine-assisted activities, while serving the therapeutic riding profession through training and education.

Serving Up Comedy supports the efforts of Dream Catcher and asks that you support their noble cause when attending any of our free comedy shows during the month of August. To learn more about Dream Catcher, visit their website at www.dreamcatcher.com.

We are having our one-year anniversary Thursday, July 13th, but our new featured charity, Boys and Girls Club of America, starts July 6th and goes for the whole month.

Every day, 11.3 million kids and teens leave school with no place to go. The Boys and Girls Club of America provides a safe place to learn, play and grow through enriching programs, experiences and activities via supportive and caring mentors. 97% of Club teens are expected to graduate from high school and 88% are expected to complete some kind of post-secondary education. 74% of Club youth volunteer in their own community at least once a year. Serving Up Comedy is featuring this cause as the charity for the month of July. To learn more about them, visit www.bgca.org

Come out and enjoy some terrific standup comedy shows, and if so inclined, give a few dollars to the cause.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to any of our monthly featured charities. Our last charity, Heifer International, brought in the dollars, and Serving Up Comedy is going to match dollar for dollar all that has been donated, before delivering it to the charity. The generous giving that you make weekly deserves to be doubled.

Continue to come to our weekly shows on Thursdays at 7pm, and if you feel so inclined, continue to drop a little in the donation box. A little goes a long way, especially when it’s twice as much.

Imagine delivering unto an impoverished village a cow that can provide milk daily, plow in the field, give birth to another cow that in turn will provide milk and continue to pay it forward. It’s a lot like the “Teach a man to fish” philosophy. Imagine a chicken, capable of laying 200 eggs a year, feeding a family. That is what Heifer International is all about.

Heifer International empowers families to turn hunger and poverty into hope and prosperity. “Our animals provide partners with both food and reliable income, as agricultural products such as milk, eggs and honey can be traded or sold at markets.” When many families gain this new sustainable income, it brings new opportunities for building schools, creating agricultural cooperatives, forming community savings and funding small businesses.

Serving Up Comedy supports this charity and asks that you consider making a contribution while enjoying our weekly shows at The Warehouse on Thursdays at 7pm. To learn more about this charity, go to www.heifer.org.

Venice Family Clinic has been operating since 1970, providing quality primary health care to people in need. Today, with ten health centers, Venice Family Clinic is the medical go-to place for people who might otherwise go without critically needed health care services, giving free and affordable health-care for low-income, uninsured and homeless families and individuals. Those helped include infants, children and teens to adults and seniors. Particular emphasis is placed on the needs of women, children, the homeless and those with chronic diseases.

Donations help to pay for medications and other pharmaceuticals, plus radiology, lab, surgical and emergency services.

For the month of May, Serving Up Comedy will highlight this charity each week. To learn more about Venice Family Clinic, visit their website at www.venicefamilyclinic.org

Union Rescue Mission (URM) is one of the largest missions of its kind in America – bringing help and hope to men, women and children experiencing homelessness in Downtown Los Angeles. URM was founded in 1891 by Lyman Stewart. During those early days, URM took to the streets in gospel wagons to offer food, clothing and salvation to the less fortunate. Over the years, URM has continued and expanded its efforts to feed both the body and the soul, helping individuals and families break the cycle of poverty and achieve self-sufficiency. To learn more, go to their website urm.org.

Serving Up Comedy is pleased to devote the month of April to raising money for this noble purpose.

We are back. Now that football season is wrapping up, we will be returning with a brand new show Thursday, Feb. 16th, and then every Thursday beginning March 2nd.

Mark this on your calendar. Our very own Lydia Cornell with be emceeing our return show, and Josh Nasar will be headlining. along with a stellar lineup. Show starts at 7pm, so come early and take advantage of The Warehouse’s Happy Hour, which ends at 7pm.

Open mic follows the main show, so if you want to sign up and perform, come early and write your name down. It’s first come first choice.

Our featured charity will be a continuation of Los Angeles Mission, as a full month was not devoted to their cause before we had to discontinue comedy during football season.

But for you, we have a free show, and no two-item minimum. But I recommend bringing your appetite and thirst and get an early start on the weekend festivities with laughter and mirth. Valet parking only $3.75.

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Serving Up Comedy

The mission of Serving Up Comedy is to provide opportunities for comedians to perform in front of an audience while at the same time supporting some local non profits.

FAQ

How can I participate in the Open Mic?

Answer for the workshop: Come to The Spot before the draw at 1pm, and either make a $3 contribution or $5 purchase from the café (save your receipt), and write your name on a slip of paper. Lineup done by lottery.
Answer for The Warehouse: Come to The Warehouse and sign your name on the open mic sheet producer L.G. Ross brings each week. It’s first-come-first-choice, and signup begins as early as 6:15pm and goes to 7:30pm. We take the first 11 who sign up. One rule: once you sign up, you’re asked to stay and support the main show till open mic starts at 8:30pm.

How Can I Be Featured on Your Program?

You may audition for us two ways: either contact L.G. and send him a link to a set you’ve done (10 minutes in length and a relatively clean routine), or come to his workshop the 2nd or 4th Saturday of each month and audition. Auditions are 10 minutes and you may not use notes. We want to see the very act you’d do if we booked you.

Which Non-Profit Organizations Do You Support?

Charities we support will alter from month to month, but currently scheduled to be on the agenda are Union Rescue Mission (based out of Los Angeles), Paws and Claws Humane Society, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 4Paws 4Patriots (based out of Temecula, CA), RAINN, The Smile Train, and others focusing on feeding and clothing the homeless, veterans, and more. We are open to suggestions.